image description

Lanesborough Waiting For Results on Well Contamination

By Andy McKeeveriBerkshires Staff
Print Story | Email Story
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Town officials are waiting for the state Department of Environmental Protection to tell them if the town is responsible for contamination in a resident's drinking-water well.

DEP ran tests last week on the well on Joseph Trybus' property on Ore Bed Road. The Board of Selectmen on Monday night said it has not yet been informed of the source of the contamination.

The town installed a filtration system on Trybus' well last year after the DEP found high levels of trichloroethylene in the water.

"We need to find out what's contaminating your well," interim Town Administrator Joseph Kellogg told Trybus on Monday. "If it is coming from us, we will make it right."

Trybus' built his home five years ago across from the old Ore Bed Road landfill, which was capped about 15 years ago. In recent years, town officials have been attempting to reduce monitoring of the landfill because the levels had not changed and in doing so, the state tested Trybus' well for the first time last year.

When trichlorethylene, a solvent, was discovered the state mandated the town install a carbon filtration system on the well. The chemical was mostly used to clean grease off metal parts in industrial manufacturing and is linked to liver disease and an increased chance of cancer.

The town could be responsible for mitigating the problem — by costly means such as installing a water line — if found liable. But officials are not sure that the town is.

"We still don't feel it is our responsibility," Chairman William Prendergast said, citing the state's approval that the landfill was capped correctly.

Prendergast said the pollution could have come from other sites used by companies for dumping. None of the neighbors' water has tested positive.


However, tests of one nearby monitoring well has always shown levels above state regulations. Prendergast said the state never indicated concern about the levels because they weren't getting worse.

Trybus, though, said he was never informed of that information prior to purchasing the property.

"If I had known that, I wouldn't have bought the property," he said. "I just wish I got an FYI."

The town has spent between $30,000 and $40,000 on the issue already with testing and installing the filtration system. Even though his well water is filtered, Trybus said he has been buying bottled water.

Selectman Robert Barton said the town should consider paying for the bottled water while the state attempts to find the source and told Trybus to gather his bills.

"I think the selectmen should consider paying your water bills," Barton said. "We need to do anything we can to make you feel comfortable."

Those costs would be recouped from the responsible company if the town is not at fault, Barton said.

Tags: contamination,   toxins,   well,   

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

MassDOT Project Will Affect Traffic Near BMC

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Prepare for traffic impacts around Berkshire Medical Center through May for a state Department of Transportation project to improve situations and intersections on North Street and First Street.

Because of this, traffic will be reduced to one lane of travel on First Street (U.S. Route 7) and North Street between Burbank Street and Abbott Street from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday through at least May 6.

BMC and Medical Arts Complex parking areas remain open and detours may be in place at certain times. The city will provide additional updates on changes to traffic patterns in the area as construction progresses.

The project has been a few years in the making, with a public hearing dating back to 2021. It aims to increase safety for all modes of transportation and improve intersection operation.

It consists of intersection widening and signalization improvements at First and Tyler streets, the conversion of North Street between Tyler and Stoddard Avenue to serve one-way southbound traffic only, intersection improvements at Charles Street and North Street, intersection improvements at Springside Avenue and North Street, and the construction of a roundabout at the intersection of First Street, North Street, Stoddard Avenue, and the Berkshire Medical Center entrance.

Work also includes the construction of 5-foot bike lanes and 5-foot sidewalks with ADA-compliant curb ramps.  

Last year, the City Council approved multiple orders for the state project: five orders of takings for intersection and signal improvements at First Street and North Street. 

The total amount identified for permanent and temporary takings is $397,200, with $200,000 allocated by the council and the additional monies coming from carryover Chapter 90 funding. The state Transportation Improvement Plan is paying for the project and the city is responsible for 20 percent of the design cost and rights-of-way takings.

View Full Story

More Pittsfield Stories